Q & AAfrica

By Pushing Central Government, London Conference on Somalia Sets Itself Up for Failure

Representatives from more than 50 countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, have gathered in London for an international conference on Somalia, chaired by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In the words of Philip Barton, deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Washington, the conference will focus on "the underlying causes of instability and its symptoms, such as famine, piracy and terrorism."

With piracy increasingly threatening international shipping, and the militant Islamist group al-Shabab developing closer ties to al-Qaida, problems that have plagued Somalia for two decades are posing a growing risk to the Horn of Africa and the international community as a whole.

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